God's Not One Of Us

I felt motivated to dig this out of the depths of my hard drive by a friend who did something similar. I wrote this mid-August after hearing Joan Osborne's song "One Of Us" for the first time in years. Not surprising, but I wasn't offended by it when I used to hear it before; being unsaved and "tolerant" at the time. This time was different. I think it all started when Matt and I jokingly changed the line to "Could you be more blasphemous?" and I ended up changing the whole song to follow suit. If you're unfamiliar with the song, you can find the video below.

I warn you - I'm no lyricist. Purely for amusement's sake. Whether that's just my amusement is up to you.

God's Not One of Us

God has a name, it is Almighty
And you don't deserve to say it
Because of all His Glory
In the sight of holiness, you would be broken

Yes, yes God is Good
But know, know that God is Just
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

No, God's not one of us
Could you be more blasphemous?
To compare Him to all of us
Should fill you full of shame

God has a face, but not like man's
And you won't want to see it
If you were to die in all your sin
Repent and trust the Gospel, and God will spare you

Yes, yes God is Good
But know, know that God is Just
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

No, God's not one of us
Could you be more blasphemous?
To compare Him to all of us
Should fill you full of shame
You don't deserve to say His name
Repent and quench the eternal flame
Of God's righteous wrath and rain
So save yourself some pain

Yes, yes God is Good
But know, know that God is Just
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

No, God's not one of us
Could you be more blasphemous?
To compare Him to all of us
Should fill you full of shame
You don't deserve to say His name
You sold your soul for worthless fame
Repent and quench the eternal flame
Of God's righteous wrath and rain
So save yourself some pain

Ultrasound - 30 Weeks

And the stubborn gene lives on. Drew was completely bent in half, with his legs in front of his face the whole ultrasound and wouldn't budge. Still definitely a boy, however, and very healthy. Spot on where he should be size-wise. Evidently, I just barely passed my glucose test, but I'm doing well, otherwise. My blood pressure still remains low and my weight gain is steady. Next appointment in two weeks; another ultrasound in four.

This picture is the best attempt at a 3D the poor tech could manage.

Chutes and Chutes

The Shutterbugette

I think I may have accidentally lost a lot of my followers when I decided to switch over the name of my photoblog. If you haven't changed your link to that blog (i.e. on a blog roll, in your followed blogs, etc.), make sure to do so, otherwise it won't update properly:

http://theshutterbugette.blogspot.com/

If you're having issues doing this, let me know I can assist you as best I can. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, I'm referring to my photoblog that was once JSMarshall Photography, now The Shutterbugette. Both the title and the link (URL) to this blog have changed and need to be updated in order to receive updates.

Health & Baby Update

After being sick with a buffet of illnesses for almost two weeks straight, I'm proud to say that I am back walking amongst the living once more. It started on New Years, when I started feeling the first effects of my husband's cold. Monitoring Matt, I figured I'd be out for about a week. Yuck. I pulled through it, with much of Matt's help and finally started to feel better almost a week later. I felt well for two whole days. Then the sinus infection set in. A BAD one. I'm used to getting sinus infections, as I've always had sinus issues all my life, but this one was the worst I've ever had. It's around this time we realized that Matt, who never fully stopped feeling the effects of his cold, ended up with pink eye. Thankful, I recognized it right away, since I had it before. We had to sacrifice one of his personal days (meant for when Drew comes) in order for him to go to the doctor and to wait out his contagious period while I spent the day Lysoling the house. Thankfully, Robby and I were spared pink eye, but Robby did end up with a slight cold. All during this, I still wasn't getting any better. Ever day was the same thing over and over again. I really started to get depressed. I know that sounds silly, but when you're down long enough, it really starts to get to you - especially when you watch your housework and everyday life pile up around you. After almost two weeks of being sick, I noticed my ear started to feel "weird". I figured it was just junk in my eustachian tubes from my cold and infection, so I tried to gently pop my ears. Bad idea. As soon as I did it, I regretted it. My left ear popped, started hurting, swelling, and draining pus and blood, and my hearing went muffled and started ringing. I wanted to cry. I finally broke down and went to the doctor the next day. The doctor told me I had a very bad ear infection caused by a very bad sinus infection. I practically begged him to give me...something...to help. "I'm so tired of being sick," I told him. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to give me anything because I was pregnant, but thankfully he was able to prescribe amoxicillin. After two doses, I felt the best I had felt in two weeks! Hoorah! So, a current update on all of us: Matt is almost done with his drops and hasn't had any issues since he was first "diagnosed". He still is coughing from his cold, but is pretty much over it. Rob is hard to peg, since he never truly reveals whether he is sick or how bad. His runny nose seems to have cleared up and he seems to be acting more himself, so I assume he's over it, too. As for me, I feel great, but I'm still having issues with my hearing. I can definitely feel the effects of being sick for so long on my body. I still feel quite weak and have a hard time getting around without wearing out. Matt has been an immense godsend this whole time! I don't know what I would have done without him. This definitely has been a big lesson in pride and a test of faith. Hopefully, Lord willing, we're done with our ailments for awhile!

After having to reschedule my last doctor appointment, I finally went in today for a checkup and glucose test (for gestational diabetes). What a run-around that was. My OB's phlebotomist was gone today, so they had to send me downstairs to the hospital's lab instead. I was supposed to drink the glucose drink at 9:50 and get my blood drawn at 10:50. I sat and waiting for an hour in my OB's waiting room, watching the time tick closer to 10:50. Finally, I found out that my OB was busy doing a c-section. That gave me five minutes or less to have my usual checkup and get downstairs to have my blood drawn. Thankfully, my doctor was quick and I was on my way (further update below). I got to the lab, handed the receptionist my paperwork, and waited...for another hour. Finally, at 11:50, I told the receptionist, "My glucose test was supposed to be an hour test and it's almost been two hours. I'm thinking it's not going to be effective anymore." Her eyes got big and she said, "Oh no! We thought the time written on your paperwork was the time you drank the glucose drink, not when you needed your blood drawn!" My OB's receptionist hadn't specified what the time was referring to! My hunch was right and the test was no longer effective. I now have to go back and do it all over again within the next two days. Slightly frustrating, but all parties involved were having an off day, so I really have no right to be mad at them. Just feeling inconvenienced, but such is life. As for my actual check up, my blood pressure was the lowest it's been my whole pregnancy. My iron was just a touch low, but we assume it's because I was so sick for so long. Nothing to worry about. My belly measured well and the doctor was pleased with his heartrate and activeness. I asked more about our inevitable c-section, since we're trying to "plan" it around Matt's vacation so he can be here to help me. The doctor told me that it was still too soon to schedule, but if my blood pressure stays low, I'll probably be scheduled on April 2nd. If for some reason my blood pressure sky-rockets, I'll be scheduled either March 29th or 30th. Either way, it will be happening that week - unless I go into labor early. Let's hope that doesn't happen, shall we? Things seem to be moving right along and we're getting closer and closer. Matt and I are starting to get rather excited, now. We can't wait to hold a little one again! My next appointment (aside from my glucose test) is Thursday the 28th of January. We'll have a regular checkup and another ultrasound. Not only is this also Matt's birthday, but it's also the week of his vacation, so he'll be able to come to the ultrasound, too. Nice birthday present!

That brings you up to speed. We covet your prayers for us not only for a continued healthy pregnancy, but also for continued recovery of our sicknesses. Hopefully we are on a healthy trend for awhile!

Zicam Warning

A church friend of mine posted this on Facebook this morning. I thought it was too important not to pass on. You can find the original article on the FDA website.

FDA Advises Consumers Not To Use Certain Zicam Cold Remedies
Intranasal Zinc Product Linked to Loss of Sense of Smell

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia). Anosmia may be long-lasting or permanent.
The products are:
    --Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
    --Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
    --Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)
The FDA has received more than 130 reports of loss of sense of smell associated with the use of these three Zicam products. In these reports, many people who experienced a loss of smell said the condition occurred with the first dose; others reported a loss of the sense of smell after multiple uses of the products.
“Loss of sense of smell is a serious risk for people who use these products for relief from cold symptoms,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “We are concerned that consumers may unknowingly use a product that could cause serious harm, and therefore we are advising them not to use these products for any reason.”
People who have experienced a loss of sense of smell or other problems after use of the affected Zicam products should contact their health care professional. The loss of sense of smell can adversely affect a person’s quality of life, and can limit the ability to detect the smell of gas or smoke or other signs of danger in the environment.
The FDA has issued Matrixx Initiatives, maker of these Zicam products, a warning letter telling it that these products cannot be marketed without FDA approval.
“Companies have an obligation to the public to demonstrate to the FDA that their products are safe, particularly when there is evidence they may be causing serious adverse events, and they are marketed for minor, self-limiting conditions like the common cold,” said Deborah M. Autor, director of CDER’s Office of Compliance.
Health care professionals and consumers are encouraged to report adverse events (side effects) that may be related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, fax or phone.
    --Online
    --Regular Mail: use FDA postage paid form 3500 and mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20852-9787
    --Fax: 800-FDA-0178
    --Phone: 800-FDA-1088

For more information:
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm166834.htm

The Gospel Message

I agree with most of this video's presentation of the Gospel. I would have preferred they used "sin" and "repentance and faith" instead of "wrong-doings" and "surrendering everything", but overall, I thought it was one of the better Gospel presentations I've heard in a while.

The Primary Goal for Every Christian in 2010

“Since we are justified by faith alone, it is clear that the inner person cannot be justified, freed or saved by any external work or act, and such works, whatever they may be, have nothing to do with the inner person.  Therefore, only ungodliness and unbelief of the heart make a person a condemned servant of sin — this cannot be caused by any external work or act of sin.  It follows that it ought to be the primary goal of every Christian to put aside confidence in works and grow stronger in the belief that we are saved by faith alone.  Through this faith the Christian should increase in knowledge not of works but of Christ Jesus and the benefits of his death and resurrection.”

- Martin Luther, The Freedom of the Christian (Minneapolis, 2008), page 55, italics added. Original blog post here.

Sledding or Slushing?

With the snow coming down like crazy last night, we hurriedly went to Target and bought a sled for Robby, looking forward to taking him sledding for the first time. Much to our surprise, the weather took a turn and everything was a rainy, slushy mess the next day. We felt so bad, watching Rob run to his sled sitting in the kitchen over and over again, but despite the horribly wet weather, Matt still took him out and pulled him around until his shoes were sopping wet. What a good daddy. Here's hoping for some more snow!

Anticipating going outside, Rob sat and watched Wallace & Gromit from his sled this morning.

Even the slushiest of conditions could not keep these two from their sledding plans!

Happy New Year!

A blessed New Year from our family to yours!

Smooshy-Face Gone Wrong

If there's an unusual way to injure yourself, leave it to me to find it.

Robby has come up with a new "game" of sorts. I like to call it "smooshy-face". He'll wrap his arms tightly around your neck and press his little face as hard as he can into yours. Usually, I have no problem with this. While he and his dad wrestle on the floor and headbutt each other, Robby and I have our smooshy-face time. Last night, however, smooshy-face time turned sour.

Last night, Rob came over and crawled up onto my lap with book in hand, wanting to be read to as usual. No problem. We read the book and then he decided it was smooshy-face time. So, he wraps his arms around my neck and shoves his body into my face, resembling something like a facehugger from the Alien movies, giggling and wiggling wildly the whole time. This went on for awhile until the worst happens. He pulls away, grabs my head, squares himself up with my face, confuses me with his father for a moment, and goes in for the headbutt at full-speed...

*CRACK*

The sickening noise and feeling of my nose cracking against toddler forehead brings me to tears and makes me say some very colorful, un-Christian words. Setting him down on the floor, I go to assess the damage. I'm afraid to, really. Feeling around, I find that my nose, in fact, is still there. Check. No blood. Check. Oh, but the pain! My whole face begins to throb. Poor Robby this whole time is looking at me with a very confused and concerned look on his face. Matt has Rob apologize to me and he gives me a hug, but he's lost his smooshy-face privileges for awhile.

Whether my nose is fractured or not, I really don't know. If anything, he definitely bruised it. I do know, however, that it still hurts pretty bad today and I'm having difficulty breathing out of it. The bridge of my nose and my cheek bones are still throbbing with pain, despite Tylenol's best efforts. He clocked me good. I've never been punched in the face before, but that's the closest I ever want to come.

Aside from my unusual injuries, I have a Baby Drew update. I went in for another prenatal checkup yesterday. My blood pressure was good, Drew's heart rate was easily found and very strong; although the PA did note, "Wow, he's moving around a lot! Is that normal?" For my children, evidently. Robby never stopped moving. Nothing's changed in the department. Also, my weight-gain is steady and normal. Overall, the visit was very quick and painless. The PA informed me that my appointments will be every two weeks now and my next visit will be my glucose test. Please pray for clarity in this test, even though I passed my first one with Robby just fine. Thankfully, I don't have to fast this time for some reason. Definitely a plus. Two weeks after my glucose test, I will have another ultrasound (on Matt's birthday of all days - and he'll have that week off!), which marks my eight-week countdown. We are definitely getting close! I'm shocked just how fast this pregnancy is flying! We still don't know if this will result in a natural birth or a c-section. We're hoping for a scheduled c-section, since Matt does not get leave like he did with Robby. We're having to try and plan one of his weeks of vacation when Drew is born, which makes me slightly uneasy, but if it's scheduled beforehand, we'll more likely be able to get a more definite plan. Trusting in the Lord that everything will come together somehow.

Our First Christmas Home

We had never done a Christmas at home before, so at first the thought kind of weirded me out. No packing up the car for a day at my grandparents' place, no "premade" breakfast, and no "premade" dinner. We were on our own this year. As odd as it felt, things went as well as expected, if not better. I am not one to break "tradition" and I'm not great with dealing with change, but I took a deep breath and went for it anyways. Didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Cher joined us for Christmas Eve Service at our church, which was one of the most beautiful and spiritually satisfying Christmas Eve services I've ever been to. We sang songs, heard a fantastic, Gospel-filled sermon, and then finished up with a few more songs by candlelight. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. A lovely reminder of the true reason for the season. We all went our separate ways, stopped off at McDonald's (nothing says "Merry Christmas" like McD's) for dinner, and then heading home to get Robby to bed. This little elf had some more sneaky business to do (I had one more gift to pull out - not from Santa, of course - just too big to wrap). Matt and I had our nightly cup of tea, watched a little of the 1984 version of "A Christmas Carol", and then toddled off to bed.

After a rough night of uncomfortable sleep for me and 7:00 considered "sleeping in" by Matt, we both decided to get up - both before the child, mind you. We put on some coffee and opened our gifts to each other, enjoying our own private little Christmas before Rob had toys scattered from one end of the living room to the other. This year marked our seventh Christmas together, so it was rather nice to enjoy our quiet time. We then decided to go rouse the Robster, who gave us most unpleasant glares from his bed as we turned on the light. He soon changed his tune as we took him out to see what we had woken him up for. He had gotten used to the wrapped presents under the tree, but one was unwrapped and sitting out in plain sight - a brightly-colored Elmo chair. After watching him drag his booster seat from the kitchen to the living room over and over again, I finally found him a chair of his very own for reading and TV-viewing. He was thrilled. $15 well spent. I then helped him unwrap his other gifts as Matt recorded video (seen here). Lots of books, trucks, and his very first train set. The poor kid was so overwhelmed, he didn't know what to play with first. Here I will admit that I went a tad overboard, but I had to reasonings: A) this will be his last Christmas as an only child and B) last year was such a let-down since he was so little. Reasonable reasonings? Don't know. I had fun shopping for him, though. Breakfast of pancakes and sausage was made and eaten and then we all went back to playing with our Christmas toys, waiting for Cher to join us and for our food to settle.

Cher came over at about 1:00. We opened more gifts with her, let her try her hand at the Wii for the very first time (quite entertaining...our TV barely survived the ordeal), and I started dinner. Yes, I had to make my very first Christmas dinner. Honey-glazed ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, and an apple pie for dessert. Cher was kind enough to buy the ham and make the pie, but the rest was up to me. Slightly nerve-racking? Yes, but I survived and nothing exploded or caught on fire. The ham was my deepest concern, but I found it to be quite fool-proof. Everything turned our great, if I may say so myself. We sat and digested for a bit and then Skyped with Matt's family in Colorado for awhile. Cher was very unsure about being "on display" at first and quickly sprinted out of view, but my father-in-law called her out and made her join in on the conversation. We said our virtual goodbyes and then had to say our goodbyes to Cher, as all of us were growing quite sleepy.

What a long, wonderful day. Nothing like I expected, but better. Still, I don't know if I'd want to do it again anytime soon. I'm looking forward to next Christmas, with lots of family and food, and a two-year-old and an eight-month-old. I guess I kind of took the holidays for granted and this year made me appreciate them more - not that I didn't enjoy our holidays on our own, of course. I'm really glad Cher was willing and able to join us. It was really nice to kind of "reconnect" with her, as we've somewhat fallen away since her and I lived together. This year was a nice break from tradition and I look forward to next year when we'll go back to "tradition as usual". I pray you all had a good Christmas as well!

Merry Christmas!

Today, we reflect and celebrate the day that our Holy and Mighty God humbled Himself by coming to earth as a small and helpless baby, setting aside His divine attributes to live as a lowly man, and suffering for all mankind's sins on the cross so that we may be fully redeemed by His blood through repentance and faith. Nothing wrapped up in ribbons and bows can even come close the perfect gift of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks for this immeasurable gift of mercy, love, and sacrifice the Father has bestowed upon us!

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
-Isaiah 6:9

Christmas Chuckle

Now THIS is talent! I hope you all get as big of a chuckle out of this as I did. Merry Christmas!

Pineapple Cookies Recipe

My aunt and grandma used to make these a lot when I was growing up. I just got the chance to make them for myself for our church's Cookie Exchange. They were a hit, as far as I could tell - they were all gone! This recipe is slightly older than I am and before you turn your nose up at the thought of fruit in cookies, don't think "fruitcake". These are definitely NOT fruitcake. To assure you further, Matt loves them...which says a lot.

Pineapple Cookies

3 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c shortening
1-1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1-1/4 c crushed pineapple (undrained)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly combine together wet and dry ingredients. Stir in pineapple. Drop teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Makes about four dozen.

It Will Cost You Everything

Excellent video. Well worth the watch.

Let's Say Thanks

I was directed to this site by a Facebook friend. Basically, you pick a design, fill out your information, choose a message, and when you click "Send", Xerox prints out your card and sends it overseas to a U.S. soldier. It's just a small token of thanks to let them know that you appreciate and pray for them. It takes less than a minute, but you never know who's life you'll impact in the long-run. Click on the banner above to visit Xerox's Let's Say Thanks website.

Whether you agree with the war or not, please continue to pray for the brave men and women serving our country.

First Professional Haircut

After putting off another chopped "mommy cut" for so long, we finally took Rob in for his very first professional haircut. It's not perfect by any means (it's difficult to trim a moving object), but he did beautifully for the hairstylist, only fussing a little twice during the whole experience. He didn't mind the scissors and comb, but didn't want to have anything to do with the clippers. She didn't even have to turn it on for him to make it very clear that he did not approve. So, the haircut was cut short (ha...punny). I think he still looks quite dapper and oh-so grown up.

Born to Die

This beautiful video about the true story of Christmas was put together by my dear friend and brother in Christ, Mike. Make sure to check out his blog, Wretched Sinner.